City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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Just before the holidays, the high school hoops are in full swing, with several big-time showcases taking place in the Philly area over the course of the next few days.

Here’s a look at the major events this weekend:

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Rondae Jefferson Classic
Fri., Dec. 22, Chester HS

Mastery North vs. St. Thomas More (Del.), 2:45 PM
This is quite a new-look Mastery North squad, as head coach Terrance ‘Nip’ Cook has had to surge forward without the program’s best-ever player, Daeqwon Plowden, currently a key reserve in his freshman season at Bowling Green. Junior guard Jamir Reed, a talented 6-3 guard with serious scoring ability, is next in line; so far, the Pumas are off to a 4-0 start, and they’ll look to keep that rolling against their Delaware opponent. All four games in this event feature Pennsylvania vs. Delaware matchups, as four notable teams from the First State make their way into Chester.

Salesianum (Del.) vs. Friends’ Central, 4:30 PM
It’s a private school battle as the Sallies make their first trip up to Pennsylvania this season to take on the Phoenix. Salesianum features brothers Paul Brown, a 6-7 lefty senior forward, and Jack Brown, a 6-5 junior guard; senior point guard Michael Kempsky gets them into their offense and can also really stroke it from deep. Friends’ Central has some length of its own in 6-6 senior Touré Mosley-Banks and 6-5 seniors Josh Friday and Jordan Friday, first-year arrivals from Lawrenceville Prep (N.J.). For Salesianum to come out of Chester with a win, they’ll need to keep Friends’ Central off the glass and limit the transition ability of junior guard Bryce Spriggs and wing Myles Robinson.

Smyrna (Del.) vs. Archbishop Ryan, 6:15 PM
The defending Delaware state champs, Smyrna is led by senior Caleb Matthews, a steady 6-2 guard who can score from all three levels, but he’s also got great court vision and knows how to run his team’s offense. Ryan will have to throw a number of defensive looks, but their guards -- led by junior Jaquill Stone -- know how to get up into opponents and throw them off. Stone is one of several juniors who lead the Raiders, along with 6-3 Amin Bryant and 6-4 Collin Reed; in the middle, they’re relying on burly 6-4 freshman Taleeq Robbins, who can also step out and hit a 3-pointer.

Chester vs. Sanford (Del.), 8:00 PM
The host Clippers take to the court last, in a matchup against a Sanford School team that might not have national recognition at the moment, but has a player that could certainly take them there. Sophomore wing Jyare Davis is one of the region’s most talented prospects regardless of class; at 6-6 and a solid 205 pounds, he’s got terrific size and strength for his age, with an advanced three-level scoring ability where he can get buckets off the bounce or catch, no matter who’s guarding him. Davis is just part of a talented sophomore class that Sanford coach Stan Waterman leans on heavily. Chester is smarting after taking a 65-48 beating at the hands of Reading the other night; junior guard Michael Smith Jr. and senior Brian Randolph III will look to take matters into their own hands.

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All-City Classic Tipoff
Fri., Dec. 22, Shipley School

Simon Gratz vs. Shipley, 4:45 PM
Shipley’s battling through some issues right now, most notably an MCL sprain suffered by star guard and Binghamton commit Sam Sessoms that has the 5-11 guard missing the next few weeks. Without him, the Gators went from losing to Wood by one last week to getting blown out by Carroll on Thursday night; they’ll need sophomores Amyr Henry and Khai Champion as well as junior Chaz Owens to step up in the scoring column without Sessoms around. Gratz coach Lynard Stewart has some talent on his squad, including senior guard Jaron Flowers. However, Shipley’s 6-10 center Ray Somerville will be a handful for a smaller Gratz team.

Neumann-Goretti vs. Haverford School, 6:30 PM
The Haverford School is an experienced squad led by senior guard Kharon Randolph, a USciences commit, plus 6-5 junior wing Christian Ray and 6-0 junior guard Jameer Nelson Jr. Without a true big man in the lineup -- Asim Richards, a 6-5 forward, is Haverford’s inside presence -- it will be interesting to see how the Fords guard NG’s Marcus Littles, a 6-foot-8 big man committed to play at George Washington. Neumann-Goretti relies heavily on its guard play, especially junior Christian Ings and senior Dymir Montague.

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City Play-by-Play Classic
Sat., Dec. 23, Jefferson University

Abington vs. Neumann-Goretti, 2:00 PM
Neumann-Goretti will be tested two days in a row, matching up with Abington a day after a meeting with the Haverford School. Abington is tough to defend with plenty of size and skill. Guards Robbie Heath are Lucas Monroe 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-6, respectively. Forward Eric Dixon is 6-foot-7 and can shoot from outside; the junior forward with high-major offers just scored his 1000th point in the Ghosts’ most recent game. NG guards Noah Warren (6-0), Christian Ings (6-1) and Dymir Montague (6-3) will have their hands full, but the key battle will be in the post between Dixon and N-G’s 6-8 George Washington commit Marcus Littles.

Archbishop Wood vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh, 3:45 PM
The defending PIAA Class 5A state champions matchup with a P-W program that has its sights set on the 6A title this year, in what should be an intense, up-and-down affair. Plymouth-Whitemarsh loves to put a ton of pressure on opposing guards, led by senior guards Ahmad Williams and Ahmin Williams, but the twins won’t find it so easy against a Wood backcourt featuring D-I commits Tyree Pickron (Quinnipiac) and Andrew Funk (Bucknell), plus a talented freshman in Rahsool Diggins who plays well above his years. There will also be an entertaining matchup of shot-blocking big men, as P-W’s Naheem McLeod (7-1) and Wood’s Seth Pinkney (6-11) bring quite a bit of length to the paint.

Imhotep Charter vs. Roman Catholic, 5:30 PM
In one of the most anticipated matchups of the early season, the defending champions of the Public League and PIAA class 4A, Imhotep, will take on Roman Catholic, a powerhouse from the Catholic League. Imhotep is led by its star-powered junior class, which includes future high-major prospects Donta Scott (6-7) and Dahmir Bishop (6-4), but don’t forget about Chereef Knox (6-6) or Jamil Riggins Jr. (6-6) either. Senior Bernard Lightsey, a sharp shooter, is one of the only seniors that will make big contributions. Roman features super-sophomore Lynn Greer III (6-1), and talented junior Seth Lundy (6-6), both of whom have numerous high-major offers.

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West Catholic Holiday Showcase
Sat., Dec. 23, Drexel University

Archbishop Ryan vs. Cheltenham, 1:00 PM
This event was supposed to be PA vs. NJ, but there was a last-minute dropout by Notre Dame Prep (N.J.), so instead it’s Cheltenham that’s filling in to make this a CoBL-area clash. Joe Zeglinki’s Raiders come in 3-2, though they lost to Penn Charter their last time out; Ryan is led by junior guards Amin Bryant (6-3), Colin Reed (6-4) and Jaquill Stone (6-0), though senior guards Devon Vargas (5-11) and Anthony Woodard (6-0) can both hit double-figures in the scoring column as well. Cheltenham’s featured piece is 6-6 senior wing Jack Clark, a bouncy La Salle commit with 3-point shooting abilities, but senior point guard Ahmad Bickley (5-10) and junior forward Kiyn Healy (6-6) are future college ballplayers as well.

Girard College vs. Bishop Loughlin, 2:45 PM
After dropping a game to Archbishop Wood last night, Girard College will look to bounce back on Saturday against Loughlin. The Cavs feature 6-7 sophomore Mikeal Jones, one of the more promising prospects in the region in the class of 2020. Junior Daiquan Copeland is also off to a great start this season; overall, Girard College has all five starters (and its top seven in general) back from a runner-up finish in the PIAA Class A tournament. Loughlin lost it’s two best players, Keith Williams (Cincinnati) and Markquis Nowell (Patrick School), but they return a pair of twins, in juniors Justin and Julian Champagnie.

Bonner-Prendie vs. Pope John XXIII, 4:30 PM
Isaiah Wong has been a huge contribution for the Friars this year; the 6-3 junior has eclipsed the 1,000 point barrier for his career. Bonner’s front court features Rider commit Ajiri Johnson and Tariq Ingraham, a pair of 6-8 rim rattlers. Pope John features Samba Diallo, a 6-6 UMass commit. The versatile swingman is partnered with Sacred Heat commit, 6-foot guard Aaron Clarke.  

West Catholic vs. Mater Dei Prep, 6:15 PM
The host of the event, West Catholic gets the penultimate game, as Jason Hasson leads his young Burrs into yet another challenge. West Catholic starts two freshmen in Zaakir Williamson (6-5) and Jerome Brewer Jr. (6-6), with several others in the rotation; they’re typically led in the scoring column by 6-1 junior Imere Harris or 6-2 junior Samier Kinsler; 6-8 Naadhir Wood mans the middle. Mater Dei Prep features a pair of terrific lead guards in the backcourt in Kenny Jones and Xander Rice. Jones, a 5-11 senior point guard with a scoring touch, is already committed to Loyola (Md.). Rice, a 6-2 guard and son of Monmouth coach King Rice, is a transfer from the recently-closed St. Anthony (N.J.), and he picked up an offer from Pitt this summer among several other mid-major looks.

Archbishop Carroll vs. Our Saviour Lutheran, 8:00 PM
Coming off of a convincing win over Shipley, Carroll is led by sophomore A.J. Hoggard, who is back in the lineup after missing a few games. The 6-4 guard is joined by Luke House, a 6-5 junior guard who’s off to a terrific start this season. Seniors Keyon Butler (6-4) and Devon Ferrero (6-5) make up the frontcourt for the 4-2 Patriots. OSL is led by senior Seton Hall commit Jared Rhoden, a versatile 6-7 swingman worth great court vision and a quick release jumper. Sophomore Posh Alexander, a powerful 5-11 guard, has tons of potential and is shaping up to be one of the premier talents on the east coast in his class.